There’s never been a better time to be Daredevil. After starring in two critically lauded seasons of his own Netflix series – not to mention sharing the spotlight in team-up outing The Defenders – the blind lawyer from Hell’s Kitchen has never been more popular.

Wind back the clock 14 years, however, and ol’ Hornhead’s star was shining considerably less brightly, after the disappointing critical and commercial reaction to the Daredevil film.

Directed by Mark Steven Johnson – the guy behind the equally sub-par Ghost Rider adaptation – Daredevil underperformed at the box office, particularly when you look at the numbers superhero movies are pulling in today. The film also received mixed reviews, with more than one critic taking it to task for its underwhelming and derivative narrative.

It wasn’t just the industry press who savaged the film either. Daredevil himself, Ben Affleck, made disparaging remarks about his time working on the film, and would later refuse to appear in the proposed sequels.

Yes, it seems that nothing ever quite clicked on the Daredevil set, but even so, that doesn’t mean the film isn’t worth revisiting.

On the contrary, as you’d expect from a failed superhero flick, there are actually several interesting, shocking, and frankly, depressing facts related to one of Marvel’s less successful productions.